Football

Newcastle linked as forgotten Chelsea man poised for January move

A lack of game time at Chelsea could see defender Fikayo Tomori seek a January loan move, with Newcastle United said to be keen on his services.

The 22-year-old began to establish himself in the Blues first team in 2019-2020. He made 15 starts at the heart of defence while scoring his first goal in September last year.

However, the arrival of Thiago Silva has seen the youngster slip down the Stamford Bridge pecking order. Tomori has made just one top-flight appearance while featuring twice in the EFL Cup this season.

With one full England cap to his name, the talented youngster seems to have the world at his feet. But he needs to be playing football and not kicking his heels on the substitutes bench.

While Silva is Frank Lampard’s number one centre-back, Kurt Zouma, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen are also ahead of Tomori. It appears as though a loan spell during the second half of the campaign might suit all concerned.

Tomori needs regular first-team action and it may come at St James’ Park. The Northern Echo are suggesting that Magpies chief Steve Bruce will pounce when the transfer window reopens.

Doubts over the club’s ownership mean permanent deals will not happen on Tyneside, with loans much more likely. Lampard is unlikely to stand in the youngster’s way as he almost left for West Ham in the summer.

The last-minute nature of that proposed move caused the player to remain in west London. But it appears as though he will look for a new temporary challenge early next year.

The Canadian-born star would face competition from Jamal Lascelles, Federico Fernandez, Fabien Schar and Ciaran Clark in the north east.

Gimenez bid bad news for Tomori?

Whether or not Tomori has a long-term future with Chelsea only time will tell. Silva is 36 and will not go on for ever. But it is open to debate whether Lampard sees the man from Alberta as a long-term alternative.

Reports surfaced earlier this week that Chelsea wanted to sign Atletico Madrid defender Jose Gimenez last summer. His release clause is said to have scuppered any deal but the news will have rung Tomori’s alarm bells.

Jose Gimenez Atletico Madrid TEAMtalk

At just 25 and with 60 Uruguay caps to his name, Gimenez looks a real prospect. He has suffered with injury over the past few seasons but, when fit, has made a real impact for Atletico.

The South American has made just four appearances this term due to muscle problems while also self-isolating with coronavirus.

 

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The post Newcastle linked as forgotten Chelsea man poised for January move appeared first on teamtalk.com.

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